Get ready to start your engines. NASCAR has announced the launch of its first ever social gaming experience, “NASCAR Pro Championship presented by Sprint,” on “Car Town,” the biggest automobile and motorsports game on Facebook.

In the game, which is free to play, you can compete against your friends in sponsored races, complete challenges and activities that will earn you virtual rewards and add prizes to your virtual garage. You can race against other drivers on 3 virtual tracks and get your Facebook friends involved as you try to win the NASCAR Pro Championship title. The popularity rankings allow you to keep tabs on your friends’ performances and invite others to become your fans.

As it is the title sponsor of the gaming experience, Sprint branding is featured heavily throughout the game. There is a Sprint-branded vehicle, race entrance, leaderboard and victory lane. You can also earn Sprint virtual rewards by watching a NASCAR 101 video that features Miss Sprint Cup, by visiting the Miss Sprint Cup Facebook Page and by sharing a photo of your virtual car with your Facebook friends.

“NASCAR Pro Championship presented by Sprint” has been launched to coincide with TNT’s Summer Series and will run through the conclusion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which ends in Homestead, Fla., on Nov. 20. Special codes will be delivered during TNT’s coverage of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup series. These codes will help you to win prizes in the game and, each month, you will have the chance to start over as a new challenge begins and a new NASCAR Pro Championship winner is crowned.

Launching “NASCAR Pro Championship presented by Sprint” as part of an existing (and very popular) Facebook game, rather than as a standalone social game, is a smart move on NASCAR’s part. “Car Town” has more than 9 million players and that will help NASCAR get off to a rolling start.

While this is NASCAR’s first social gaming experience, it is not the first time the the organization has steered into social media. In February, it launched its own social network and, last week, it launched a Father’s Day contest on Facebook. The winner of the contest will have a photo of their dad put on the hood of a NASCAR car.